Vending machine



Jan. 271, 1930. J. E. sAPP VENDING MACHINE Filed July 21, 1927 S'Sheets-Sheet 1 I... "Il/'IIII/.Lq'q ..11A 1.......

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Jan. 2l, 1930. J, E, SAPP 1,744,679

VENDING MACHINE Filed July 21, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 attoz nu),

' Patented Jan'. 21,1930

amsn. sur, or Beinamen, GEORGIA Application med July` 21, 1927.' j serial N9. 207,521.

My invention relates to vending apparatus ,I

for the dispensing of packaged articles, and particularly those of cylindricalorm, such forinstance, as bottled'soft drinks.' The in- Y vention is particularly designed as` a selfservice `device for correlation with coin controlled mechanism, the latter, however, being "no part of the present invention, and there-A fore having been omitted altogetherfromthe m drawings and description thereof.

This invention is an improvement upon the invention forming the subject matter. of my application Serial blo-110,409, filed May 20, 1926, and has for its general object the sim` 15 pliication and improvement in the mechanism and an enhancement in the reliability I and Veiiciency in the operation of the device,

relative to that of the prior invention.

Among fthe more specific objects are the 20 al travel of the packages towardthe outlet-or delivery chute; bottle actuated means ensuringthe emptying of one shelf before the packages begin to discharge from the next, automatic means controlled by the position of the advance beyond the pale of retention by the hopper, for each complete actuation of the latter, improved selector means, whereby the hoppers are positively locked against rotation at all times whenthey are not designatedly placed incondition to permit rotation; and dialing means correlated with the selector means for conveniently and accurately indieating to the user of the device the correct setting of the selector means to obtain service from any desired one of theseveral hoppers With these and otherobjects in view', .the invention comprises principles of construction whichfind a preferred, although not exclusive, embodiment in the device describe in the drawings, in which Figure l is a front elevation of the apparatus; i

the hoppers;

Figure?) is a'horizontal longitudinal section taken in the plane of the selector mechanism, showing the latter in operativeposition with regard to all of the hoppers;

views of the'rotary shaft and sliding .the selector mechanism;

provision of means ensuring the unidirectionhopper ensuring that. one bottle only shal Figure 2 isa side section through one ofv Figure 4 is a similar view showing the selector mechanism active Withregard to hopperNo.`4; L P l Figure 5 isa section taken along the line 5`5of FigB; Figure 6 is a section taken along the line 6 -6oFig.3;\

. Figure 7 is aplan view of one of the hoppers;

Fi ure 8 isv a vertical section through the f mout of'y one of the hoppers;

- Figure 9, is a section taken on the line 9-.9- of Fig. 8;

Figures 10 and l1 are respectively `plan tar of .65

Figure '12'is a perspective view of the rack end of the sliding bar; f

Figure 13 is a vertical section through the apparatus adjacent a delivery chute, show-- ing aslight modification. f

Referrlng now 'in detail to the several figures, the numerall represents a casing or cabinet which, as shown, isdoublewalled to obtain the effect of heat insulation, and which g5 is shown with 'an ice compartment aboveand z'a drainage water compartment below, which maybe connected not shown.

The cabi-net is providedwith'a series of '80 vertical` partition s 2 aording supports for, bearings 3 within'whi'ch trunnions 4 arejournalled, the latter aording pivotal axes for by a suitable! drain. pipe,

the hoppers 25.] `The latter are several ini number according to the variety of packages to be dispensed.

Each hopper is of the same general shape, as isfindicated in Figs. 2and 7, b'eing rectangular in plan, havin say, four normally horilzontal shelves 5, 6,' and 8, and having the lower floor or wall inclined downwardly toward the front to form a ramp 9, 'the extreme end 10 of which bends downwardly, forming with an upwardly inclined wall 11 of the cabinet a lbottle trough in which a'single'bottle or cylindrical package rests, the -one that' has been automatically excluded from return to the hopper, by i'means presently to be described. Each hopper is replenished with packages, through a door 12 in the back,.a c 10 -cess to which is had bymeans of a door 13 in the back of the cabinet. The. upper ends of the hoppers are preferably left open, to obtain full effect ofthe refrigeration.

The bottles are arranged transversely upon the shelves 5 to 8 and roll progressively forwardly as the hopper is tilted, forming a continuous series on the ramp, from which one bottle is discharged each time the hopper is tilted. The shelves and ramp are formed with stepped surfaces having abrupt shoulders 14, facing the direct-ion of normal travel of the bottles and preventing them rolling backward and clashing against one another when the hopper is oppositely tilted.

To ensure that the shelves shall discharge their packages successively, beginning with the top shelf, every shelf but the top one is provided with a gate 15 obstructing its outlet, which is maintained in closed position by the weight of bottles on the shelf above. This gate, in the forni shown is formed of a bent resilient rod having the plan shape as shown in Fig. 7 and the elevation shape shown in Fig. 2. It is pivoted substantially in the plane of the shelf overlying the tier of bottles which it is to control and is normally biased upwardly through its resiliency, slots 16, Fig. 7, being provided so-that it may pass through the plane of the shelf to which it is affixed. Vhen bottles are on the overl ing shelf, the gate 15 is depressed so as to 4e in obstructing position relative to the bottles on the shelf below, and it is only when the last bottle has been discharged from the overlying shelf that the gate springs upwardly so as to release the bottles on the shelf next below.

The ramp is provided, adjacent its discharge end, with a control gate 17, the purpose of which is to let one bottle or package at a time out of the hopper in position for delivery. |This gate is formed of a resilient bent rod and is constructed as a loop, extending clear across the hopper, as in Fig. 9, the sides of said loop being accommodated in slots 18 in the sides of the hopper. rlhe sides of the loop extend below the plane of the ramp, being bent in a direction longitudinally of the ramp and pivoted thereto. The gate is normally biased downwardly so that the cross member of the loop acts as a barrier to the exit of the bottles. rl`his relation of parts is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 and prevails for all positions of the hopper except when it is in the normal full line position shown in Fig. 2, at which time the bottom of the gate abuts against the bottom of the cabinet being thereby pressed upwardly so that the cross member of the gate rises above the height of the bottles, permitting the full passage of a bottle to the trough formed by the end 10 of the hopper and the inclined wall 11, from which it is discharged when the lower end of the hopper moves upwardly, to

the dotted line position, rolling by gravity i down the chute 19 to the receiving shelf 20. In its gravital passage down the chute, the bottle, y its own weight opens the doors 21 and 22 in the inner and outer walls of the cabinet, which doors are provided for heat excluding purposes.

The hoppers are tilted by means of arcuate racks 23 secured to the front faces thereof, engaged by toothed sectors 24 freely supported upon a shaft 26, the same forming an element of the selector mechanism. The sectors are kept from lateral displacement, by means of a stationary bar 27 secured to the rear face of the front wall of the cabinet, having notches 28 of a width to freely receive the edges of said segments, said notches being so spaced as to keep the sectors in registration with the racks.

The selector mechanism consists of a sliding lock bar 29, slidable between a pair of guide flanges onthe rear of the front face of the cabinet, of which the bar 27 is one. Said lock bar has bearings 30 receiving the shaft 26, the latter being grooved in the zones engaged by said bearings, and set screws 31 or vtheir equivalent being provided, projecting into said grooves so that while the shaft is rotatable relative to the lock bar, it moves slidably synchronously therewith. The lock bar is of such width, except at certain indented places, that itl extends within notches 32 in the sectors 24, and so maintains them in fixed position, the shaft 26 being free to rotate within said sectors so that no strain can be put upon the sectors by any one attempting to operate the device while the lock bar is in locked position. The lock bar is provided withl indentations 33, one for each sector, and arranged at such distance intervals apart that only one at any time can be brought into registry with a sector by sliding the lock bar. TVhen this occurs the particular sector with which a recess associates itself is unlocked and free to rotate, while the othsrs ,-emain locked in the manner afore sal The shaft 26 is provided with protuberances or keys 34 arranged at intervals corresponding to those of the indentations 33, and the sectors are provided with recess 35 for said keys, so that at the same movement an indentation on the lock bar comes into unlocking relation to a sector, a key 34 slips into a recess 35 of the same sector temporarily securing it rotatably to the shaft, the end of the shaft 26 freely telescopes within a rotatable sleeve 36 set in one side of the cabinet and suitably fixed against longitudinal movement. The shaft 26 is splinably mounted within this sleeve 36. When the crank 37 on the end of the sleeve 36 is rotated the movement is communicated through shaft 26 to the one sector which at the time is keyed to said shaft, tilting the hopper with which l it cooperates and thereby accemplishingthe delivery of a bottle or package.

\Selection oflthe desired hopper `which to be operated is made byturning a knurled .knob 38 which operatesa gear V39, in mesh with a rack bar 40' fixed to the-bar 29 slidable witln respect to the lock bar 27, and

accessible by gear 39 through a slot in bar 27 as shown -By this means slidable move ment is imparted to the rack b ar, the knob preferably carries an index 41 cooperating y i. with a dial 42 on whichy are carried indicia of the invention, it is to be understeod that` identified with the lvarietyof product dispensed by each of the `several hoppers. When the user turns the lmob until the index points to the desired indicia he then merely turns the crank and a package of the desired variety is deposited inthe receivingfshelf 20.

While I have `in the above description defined a preferred and practical embodiment the specific structure Idescribed is not to be considered as a limitation in its concept of the invention, but merely by way of example,l

so that various changes in structure may be .permissible without transcending the scope shelves on which the packages are stored and a ramp upon which they are discharged from said shelves, gates associated with said shelves and having an inherent tendency to move to open position, and means whereby the sequence in the discharge of packages from the shelves to the ramp is /controlld.,

2. A vending device for deliverable packl ages, including a hopper having superposed shelves on 'which the packages are storedand a ramp upon which they are discharged from said shelves,ga.tes associated'with said shelves, the latter and said ramp forming aV `runway from which said packages gravitate i i, when said hopper is opv ositely tilted.

shelves and having an inherent tendency to move to open position, means whereby .the

sequence in the discharge of packages from` the shelves to the ramp is controlled, and

. means for tiltingeach hopper.

" 3. A vending device for deliverable packages7 including a hopper having shelves on which saidpackages are stored, and a ramp upon which they are discharged from said when the hopper is tilted, said runway'being constructed with stepped portions forming shoulders facing the direction of discharge, andpreventing back travel of said packages 4. A vending device or deliverable packages, includingk a tiltable hopper, having a ramp from which packages are discharged by gravity, an'd'retaining `means carried by said hopper and operable by contact with a Aixed partof said device when saidhopper of said tilting means.I

',is mad in' one aneignen, to' permit uit' auto'- -matic advance of adetermmedfnumberf of' packages beyondsaid means and when tilted `1n the A'opfposite direction to exclude said l ackages rom the pale of retention of said opper. l' -J 5. A vending device for deliverable packages,incl uding afcabinet and a hopper pivotlramp from which packagesare discharged by gravity when the hopper is tilted, and any-spring gate normally positioning itself through its inherent resilience, behind a deally' mounted therein, said hopper having a termined number of packages, at the advance endof the succession ofpackages on said ramp, to exclude them from the pale of retention of said hopper, said gate being operable through contact with a fixedpart'of said the passage `ofpackages past saidA cabinet to gate.

6. A vf-:nding'L devicefor deliverable packages, comprisinga .plurality of,hoppers, pivotally mounted and operable by tilting to discharge packages therefrom, tilting means, individual to each hopper, locking means and operating means cooperable with said .tilting means and normallyso disposed as to main,

ytain said tilting means locked and inoperative, said locking and operating means beingN connected to move synchronously to a setting position and being constructed, so that when so Vmoved a selected one only ofthe tilting means shalll' be simultaneously released fromv the locking means and rendered operative, said operating means having a movement independent-of' the setting movement for oper'- ating the selectedltilting means. f

ages comprising a plurality of hoppers, pivotcharge packages therefrom, tilting means, individual to each hopper, locking means comprising a ybar engaging a slot in each tilting means .for lQcki-ng said tilting means against tiltingmovcment, said bar being provided with recesses adapted to be brought into the l paths ofJ said tilting means to release 'them from said bar, said recesses being so spaced that butone will register `vvitha tilting means at atime, an operating shaft having bosses, engageable with corresponding recesses in said tilting means, said bosses bein spaced corresponding to the recesses in sai locking bar, said bar and shaft being synchronously movable into selective operative position with respect to a tilting means, said shaft'having anoperative movement independent of said A vending device for deliverable packt setting movement, for tilting the selected one l prising a bar engaging a slot in each tilting dividual to eachvhopper, locking means commeans for locking said tiltiii means against tilting-movement, said barV eilig provided with recesses adapted to be vbrought into the paths of said tilting means to release them from said bar, said recesses being so spaced that-biitone will register with a tilting means at a time, an operative .shaft having bosses, engageable with corresponding recesses in said. tilting means, said bosses being spaced corresponding to the recesses in said'locking bar, said bar and shaft being synchronously movable into selective operative position -with respect to a tilting meaiis,'said shaft being rotatable, a crank sleeve Within which said shaft telescopes during setting movement of said locking bar and shaft, and means on said crank sleeve for rotating said shaft:

9. A vending device for deliverable packages comprising 'a plurality of hopper's, pivotally mounted andoperable by tilting to discharge packages therefrom, tilting means, in-

prising a bar engaging a slot in each tilting means for locking said tilting 4means against tilting movement, said bar being provided with recesses adapted to bei brought into the paths of said tilting means to release them` from said bar, said recesses being so spaced that but one will register with a tilting means at a time, an operative shaft having bosses, l engageable with corresponding recesses insaid tiltiiir means, said bosses being spaced correspon( ing to the recesses in said locking bar. said bar and shaft being synchronously movable into selective operative position With i'espectto a tilting means, a setting handle associated with said connected locking bar and operating shaft, and a dial to Whichthe position of said setting handle is referred, having indicia identified With indicia related to the several hoppers.

In testimony whereof I aix m signature.` i

vJAMES SAPP. 

